Sewing machine attachment



Oct., 24, 1933. F A MELVlN Er AL 1,932,116

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed March 17. `1932 jnvzz a ffeivan,

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Patented Oct. 24, 1933 PATE oFFicl:

SEWING MACHNE ATTACHMENT Frank A. MelvinA and Frank B. Wellington, Danielson, Conn., assignors to Powdrell t Alexander, Ine., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 17, 1932. Serial No. 599,378

4 Claims.

This invention pertains to sewing machine attachments, and relates moreparticularly to a hemmer adapted to produce a finished edge or hem of improved character and appearance.

In making the simplest kind of hein, the margin of the material is folded over uponr itself to produce a hein of the desired width consisting 'of two 'plies which are directly united by a longitudinally extending seam, but this simple hem exposes a free edge of the material and is only used in coarse types of Work orA where such edge will be concealed from View. In the better grades of work the margin of the material is doubled over, as in the simple hem, but to a width slightly in excess of the desired width of hem, and then the free edge of the folded over material isgfolded on itself through substantially 180 to form two plies, and these two plies are sewed to the' body of the fabric by a longitudinal seam,

thus forming what may be termed a double hem; wherein the sewing stitches extend through three'plies of the material.

Y' For many purposes. this last method is satisfactory, but when' making hems in thin and more vor less open material, for example, ma-

y terial such as is commonly used for window curtains, it is found that the edge portion of the materialwhichV is last folded in, and which must `'usually'be of a substantial width in order to retain the stitches and'prevent pulling out, is

visible between the outer plies of the materialand detracts from the appearance of the finished i article, particularly if such edge be of irregular width or have projecting or loose thread ends. One object of the present invention is to avoid the above defects in hem formation, and to this end thev invention in its preferred form comprises means for making what may be `termed a triple hem which resembles the double hem just described except that, before sewing, the free edge of the'material is again folded or doubled' .so that the sewing stitches pass through at least four plies of the fabric, the free edge of the fabric being concealed behind two plies at the front face of Athe article so that, if uneven or frayed, it does not show sufficiently to mar the appearance of the finished article. In this arrangement, wherein the sewing stitches pass through four plies of the material, the stitches rind a secure anchorage even in the. thinnest 'of goods, and pulling out or fraying of the edge is substantially prevented. Moreover, since the sewing stitches pass through a greater number of thicknesses of the material, the folded margin may be considerably narrower than when tWO (o1. 11a-141) f plies are depended upon to anchor the stitches, and this narrower fold, in combination with the extra thickness of material, cooperates to produce a narrow uniform stripe which sets off 'the g hem and, for certain purposes at least, enhancesI the appearance of the article; for example, in window curtains rnadefrom thin and dainty material this narrow stripe at the inner edge of or, in other words, to form a three-ply fold at this eXtreme edge.

In order that the advancing edge of the material may safely enter the receiving throat of the scroll, it is desirable that the operator have access to this edge just at the entrance to the scroll`- for guiding and assisting the material to enter the throat of the scroll, and for this purpose the attachment is provided with a recess at the proper point through which the operator may insert her finger into engagement with the workv` for guiding the latter into the scroll.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein one desirable embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example,

Fig. 1 is av fragmentary plan Viewl showing the improved attachment, partly in section, and in-v dicating its position with reference to the needle and presserfoot of the sewing machine,-showing the work as partly vadvanced through the attachment with the finger of the operator in position for guiding the material into the throat of the scroll; v

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but showing the work as advancedthrough the attachment to a point where the first stitches are being formed by the sewing needle; f l Fig. 3 is a transverse section substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3ab is a transverse section on of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly in section, illustrating the improved hem formed by kthis attachment;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to-Fig. 4 but illustrating a hem as formed by usual prior methods; and

the line 3L- a Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan View, to small scale, showing the corner of a curtain provided with hems made by the use of the present apparatus.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates a support or bracket which may, if desired, comprise relatively adjustable members and which is adapted to be secured to a convenient part of the sewing machine frame in the same way as attachments commonly provided for performing special operations.

This bracket carries the hemming elements forming the essential features of this invention, such hemming elements as here illustrated and in a preferred embodiment including a piece of sheet material shaped to provide the bottom folding plate 2 constituting a work support and adapted to rest upon the bed plate ofthe sewing machine. The hemming elements also comprise the top folding plate 3, preferably integrally united with the bottom plate 2 at its fright-hand edge by means of a smooth bend 4, at 'which point the bracket 1 is conveniently attached. The hemming means also comprises a middle folding plate 5, preferably united integral- 1y to the left-hand edge of the plate 3 by a smooth bend forming a longitudinal edge guide channel at 6. This middle plate is preferably resilient `and has a free edge 5a extending parallel to the inside surface of the bend 4 and parallel to the line of feed of the sewing machine, the width of the plate 5 from its free edge 5a to the bend at 6 substantially determining the width of the hem to be formed. For forming hems of different widths, attachments having plates 5 of different widths may be provided.

The material forming the wall of the ,channel 6 merges at its rear end, that is to say, the end nearest the sewing machine needle, into a scroll 59 of a type generally familiar to those skilled in this -art and adapted to form a narrow fold or hem in the edge of material presented thereto. As here shown, this scroll comprises the plate l0, here shown as integral with the top plate 3, and the plate 11, shown integral with the plate 5, the plates 10 and 11 being so concentrically convoluted asto provide a more or'less spiral channel 12 adapted to turn the edge of the material through substantially 360 as the material is advanced 'along the channel. The channel l2 has an entrance or work-receiving throat 12n disposed in alignment with the channel 6. The top plate 3 is cut away or recessed, as shown at y13 (Fig. 1), so as to expose the upper surface of the plate 5 at a point closely adjacent to the work-receiving throat 12a of the channel of the scroll.

In operation, the material M is rst fed by hand between the folding plates, being folded 180 around the free edge 5EL of the plate 5 to provide the ply M1 overlying the latterplate, with its edge M2 in the channel 6. The material is pushed `along between the plates until the advancing edge M3 appears at the recess 13, such edge resting upon the plate 5. The koperator then places her .finger F upon the material adjacent to the throat l12a of the scroll and guides and assists the material in entering the throat opening. The material is now further advanced until it reaches the position of Fig. 2, where it is engaged by the feed mechanism of the machine and is advanced beneath the presserfoot so that the needle 8 forms stitches passing through that portion of the free 'edge of the material which has been acted upon by the scroll 9.

Referring to Fig. 5, one usual method of forming a hemconsists in doubling the edge portion of the material 14 as shown at 15 to provide two plies and then doubling the margin of the material at 16 to form an intermediate ply whose free edge is indicated at 17. The stitches 18 then pass through the three plies thus formed, the free edge 17 of the material lying directly between the front and rear plies of the hem." As contrasted with this, the present invention provides a hem structure as shown in Fig. 4 wherein the material 19 is first folded at 20, then at 21, and again at 22, so that the free edge of the material lies between a` single ply at the rear side and two plies at the front side of the article, while the stitches 23 pass through four plies of the material. It will be noted that in this structure the raw or free edge of the material is tightly bound in and substantially concealed from view, even though the material may be very thin.

The effect of this procedure, as illustrated in Fig. 6, where the corner of a curtain C is illustrated, is to set oi thehem-structure by narrow and substantially opaque lines 24 of deflnite'and regular Width and which, in many types of article, produce an ornamental effect while at'the same time greatly increasing the strength of the hen-15,100 structure. By the useof the present attachment this improved hem maybe made with :substantially the same rapidity and ease as the older forms of hem so that the improved hem structure may be utilized without adding substantially tovthe'fjlD cost of the article in which it is incorporated.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has been illustrated by wayr of `example,rit is to be understood that other and equivalent arrangements of parts maybe employedwithout ri110 departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim: i

1. A hemming attachment for sewing machines comprising a support, hemforming means carried thereby, said means including abottom plata/51415 a middle plate, and an upper plate, the upper and middle plates being united along aline substantially in the plane of the line of stitches to be formed by the sewing machine needle, the opposite edge of the middle plate being 'free to per-1120 mit folding of the material about said middle plate. with the edge of the material adjacent to the junction of the top and middle plates, and a scroll operative to fold the free edge of the hem-forming material to provide a triple vfold,l'25 said scroll having a receiving throat substantially aligned with the junction of the top and middle platesythe top plate having a recess adjacent -to the receiving edge of the scroll Ato enable Ythe operator to guide the advancing end of the mal-i130 terial into the scroll.

2. A hemming attachment for sewing machines comprising a support, hemming means carried thereby, said means including a unitary piece of sheet material shaped to provide a lower or-work-JBS supporting plate, a middle or folding plate, and

, a top plate, the lower and top plates being united `ceiving throat substantially aligned with the -channel at the junction vof the top and middle plates, the top plate having a recess exposing the middle plate at a point adjacent to the receiving throat vof the scroll whereby to permit the op-.llz50 erator to guide the work resting on the upper surface of the middle plate into the throat of the scroll.

3. A hemming attachment for sewing machines comprising a hemmer having parallel guide ele.- ments of substantial length in the direction of Work feed movement, said guide elements rbeing operative to engage the free edge of the material and the fold of the hem respectively, as the material moves toward the stitching point, and a folding plate united to one of saidvguide elements and extending nearly to but having a free edge separated from the other of said guide elements, said folding plate supporting the upper ply of the material as it is folded to dene a twoply hem structure, and a scroll device xed relatively to said folding plate and operative to fold the free edge of the hem-forming material to produce a triple fold for the reception of sewing stitches, said scroll having a receiving throat exposed at the rear edge of the folding plate to permit the operator to guide the work delivered from the folding plate into the receiving throat of the scroll.

4. A hemming attachment for sewing machines comprising a support, hem-forming means carried thereby, said means including a bottom plate, a middle plate, and an upper plate, the upper and middle plates being united along a line substantially in the plane of the line of stitches to be formed by the sewing machine needle, the opposite edge of the middle plate being free to permit folding of the material about said middle plate with the edge of the material adjacent to the junction of the top and middle plates, and a scroll having a receiving throat substantially aligned with the junction of the top and middle plates, said scroll comprising convoluted members forming integral projections from the rear edge of the middle and top plates respectively, said convoluted members deiine a spiral channel operative to turn the free edge of the material through substantially 360 as the material is advanced.

FRANK A. MELVIN. A FRANK B. WELLINGTON. 

